Those IW videos should be a gem as well. Last year, I met someone who paid for the VIP package. Got the back-stage treatment and hit with Agassi as well, showed me some pics on his phone. Guy was in his early 50's, accomplished hack and I believe his exact words were, 'Agassi is a semi-truck in a half-ton package'.... 'Pure power and precision'. Described his shots as extremely difficult to anticipate and time-up.

Buddy of mine did a few years back, said his timing is a whole nother level. Tight sizzling groundies: plenty of spin but with low trajectory.

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Sounds like how I hit except 100x better.

Makes sense, I watched him play so much as a kid and copied everything he did. Even the lame tennis clothes. I did wear a courieresque hat though and hit that inside out forehand.

Agassi is like Nirvana's influence. Obvious dynamics. Super cool and aggressive. The loud to quiet where he can push you back with power and then drop shot you. I love to do that.

Courier just snuck in and influenced me. The hats, the inside out forehand. He was like Sonic Youth..the kind of weird band that you were not sure you liked, but years later you wrote riffs that your subconscious clearly stole directly from them. You look back on Courier's game and now it is easier to get and appreciate.

I defy anyone to tell me it gets better than this. It doesn't. This was the pinnacle of tennis:

The black blade is supposed to be coming in today. Really getting it as a gift for the wife, so she can test it out, different string set-ups and what not. I figure if she doesn't groove with it I can always keep it or get at least 75% of my money back. You know what they say, get her a gift that you want! :smile:

Really don't know what to do with her atm. The MgPresMid is a tad too heavy for her on serve BUT she's one with the frame off the ground and has really gotten attached to it.

Last ditch attempt with the new blade (if they really bumped the ra up) because she loved the kblade98 but hates(d) the BLX98. If this doesn't work, I'm going to trim the cap grommets on the MgPresMid and remove the syn.grip and wrap 2-3ogs around the pallet in an effort to try and remove ~20grams from the frame.

Makes sense, I watched him play so much as a kid and copied everything he did. Even the lame tennis clothes. I did wear a courieresque hat though and hit that inside out forehand.

Agassi is like Nirvana's influence. Obvious dynamics. Super cool and aggressive. The loud to quiet where he can push you back with power and then drop shot you. I love to do that.

Courier just snuck in and influenced me. The hats, the inside out forehand. He was like Sonic Youth..the kind of weird band that you were not sure you liked, but years later you wrote riffs that your subconscious clearly stole directly from them. You look back on Courier's game and now it is easier to get and appreciate.

I defy anyone to tell me it gets better than this. It doesn't. This was the pinnacle of tennis:

The black blade is supposed to be coming in today. Really getting it as a gift for the wife, so she can test it out, different string set-ups and what not. I figure if she doesn't groove with it I can always keep it or get at least 75% of my money back. You know what they say, get her a gift that you want! :smile:

Really don't know what to do with her atm. The MgPresMid is a tad too heavy for her on serve BUT she's one with the frame off the ground and has really gotten attached to it.

Last ditch attempt with the new blade (if they really bumped the ra up) because she loved the kblade98 but hates(d) the BLX98. If this doesn't work, I'm going to trim the cap grommets on the MgPresMid and remove the syn.grip and wrap 2-3ogs around the pallet in an effort to try and remove ~20grams from the frame.

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So you got the 98? 93 might also be a try since she's so used to the Mid, and Chris and Andy loved that thing and I think they actually found it to be pretty maneuverable.

Black Ace 93 also sounds like a great fit - for me my description has always been that it's an easier to use Prestige Mid or PS 85. Same type of laser ball control and feel but in an 11.6 package instead of 12-plus. The '2012 version' TW just had has a sw of only 320 or so, but even the old BA 93 I felt was much easier to wield than a Prestige Mid despite a 330 sw, as the static was still about 11.6 or so. Unfortunately both of these frames are hard to find now.

There's a must see Andre vid that was doing the rounds some years back on TT, court-side hitting with camera right behind him, an awesome piece of footage. I'll see if I can locate it. I think it was originally made by some Israeli dude. Reckon you AA fans will be pleased... if it can be found.

BTW, Anyone else a big Marat fan, especially re 2hbh? I used to watch/study loads of Andre and Safin stuff on youtube etc.

That Agassi, with such force in his shots, would have given big trouble to Nadal in the French Open if they had played in the same Era

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nadal is faster and a much better mover...also dirt is nadal's best surface while it wasn't agassi's best surface so i'm not sure how much trouble agassi would have given rafa. the only thing i'm sure about is it would be a treat to watch.

Tell me you're a jazz man! If you're a drummer, you've got to be into jazz. Modern jazz. Elvin. Art Blakey. Max Roach. My family is big-time musical. Father first, drums and vibraphone, bro second, tenor sax. Both pros, both staples of the London jazz scene over different generations. I loved guitar as a teenager, played a bit in bands, gigged, etc, but I certainly could never play jazz. I never deluded myself I was better than I was (a bit like with the tennis actually). Of all the gifts one can have in life, for me, the ability to play music is maybe the most special - so I do appreciate it when people can play an instrument to a high standard.

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I LOVE JAZZ and although the term, today, refers to a plethora of different styles and genres, I hold true to the 50's/60's and earlier swing days of this great free form.

I've been playing the drums since I was 5yo, so about what?.. 28years of playing?!?? Dabble in a little guitar and keys as well. But I didn't get into the sweetness of the sound of jazz music until I was about 15 or 16. Yes! Big time Blakey/Roach fan, but because the genre is so extensive and deep, I always hold onto the classic tenor saxophonists, (Coleman Hawkins, etc.) and composer/players like Charles Mingus. The drummers are great but the compositions of harmony and melody are where it's at.

Man, there should be a separate jazz tt thread under odds/ends. The best jazz players that I've had the pleasure of working with in college and after (some small recording sessions for student films, jam sessions, jingles and some shows) have been the ones the kind that didn't start studying music theory until late in their lives. To be adept with the improvisational skills that this music adheres to, requires being completely comfortable with your instrument as a voice, and that sort of comfort is best nurtured as an amateur. With no rules or borders to hold down the creative process, the kind that theory and formal lessons often promote. It's best to become familiar with your voice (instrument) then seek technical guidance.

Or you can just experiment with drugs as youth. :razz: , which ever comes first.

nadal is faster and a much better mover...also dirt is nadal's best surface while it wasn't agassi's best surface so i'm not sure how much trouble agassi would have given rafa. the only thing i'm sure about is it would be a treat to watch.

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Yes, Nadal is very tough on dirt, the best ever. But, Agassi is and was a fighter and hit backhand crosscourt bombs that would be tough to get even on clay,

I LOVE JAZZ and although the term, today, refers to a plethora of different styles and genres, I hold true to the 50's/60's and earlier swing days of this great free form.

I've been playing the drums since I was 5yo, so about what?.. 28years of playing?!?? Dabble in a little guitar and keys as well. But I didn't get into the sweetness of the sound of jazz music until I was about 15 or 16. Yes! Big time Blakey/Roach fan, but because the genre is so extensive and deep, I always hold onto the classic tenor saxophonists, (Coleman Hawkins, etc.) and composer/players like Charles Mingus. The drummers are great but the compositions of harmony and melody are where it's at.

Man, there should be a separate jazz tt thread under odds/ends. The best jazz players that I've had the pleasure of working with in college and after (some small recording sessions for student films, jam sessions, jingles and some shows) have been the ones the kind that didn't start studying music theory until late in their lives. To be adept with the improvisational skills that this music adheres to, requires being completely comfortable with your instrument as a voice, and that sort of comfort is best nurtured as an amateur. With no rules or borders to hold down the creative process, the kind that theory and formal lessons often promote. It's best to become familiar with your voice (instrument) then seek technical guidance.

Or you can just experiment with drugs as youth. :razz: , which ever comes first.

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Somehow I just knew you were a jazz man at heart.

Yes, my brother only began formal music study late on in life, after years of gigging, learning, getting his chops together.

Not sure about the early drug experimentation. But I'm plenty sure about too many years of drinking the odd beer or four over the course of a gig... put it this way, my bro now has a bit of weight to help give that tenor one big Coltrane-ish tone.

Ross , awesome vid. Agassi is just killing the ball..wow. That is how you hit a tennis ball. He gets such a nice drop on the ball as well, and you can see him vary it up from shallow to deep.

Absolutely love that blake agassi vid. Two of my favorites going at it. I went blake when i first started back in to tennis. Got a tfight and a dunlop 200 while trying to figure out what he was really using. Those dunlop 200s are beastly.

Just cant believe how hard those guys were hitting. Tennis is really getting ruined with these slow courts.

Ross , awesome vid. Agassi is just killing the ball..wow. That is how you hit a tennis ball. He gets such a nice drop on the ball as well, and you can see him vary it up from shallow to deep.

Absolutely love that blake agassi vid. Two of my favorites going at it. I went blake when i first started back in to tennis. Got a tfight and a dunlop 200 while trying to figure out what he was really using. Those dunlop 200s are beastly.

Just cant believe how hard those guys were hitting. Tennis is really getting ruined with these slow courts.

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And these boring Americans. Watching all this Agassi footage, and thinking about him, Sampras, Blake, Courier, Mac...

Wow, is American tennis so sad and boring by comparison. So much more talent and personality back then with those guys. And the little rivalries that developed, just so much fun.

American tennis is bad. I like sock, johnson,,etc but none of them have the star power and the magic of the past. We need a star player again. It will happen..just takes time.

Hit more with the steam 99. This is a pretty nice racquet if i slow my strokes down and dont hit as hard as i like to. In other words...officially out of the steam room.

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Yep, agree about the magic. Nobody really has it right now. I thought - and still think, if he can somehow find a way to put it all together for more consistency - that Harrison might have something special, something to really rally behind, because I love his fire, guts and game. Really nice strokes and love the fact he comes up and volleys on occasion. But he's also bordering on being a bit punk-ish with some of his antics when things don't go right (Olympics was the worst). And he plays 'down' to bad players just as much as he sometimes plays 'up' to better players. In other words, there's potential in his game and fire, but he really needs to step up several levels in the mental and maturity department. Still pulling for him. Maybe in 2013 he can move forward.

Good hit tonight with MD. At least from the forehand wing. With the tgk I'm cracking the forehand so well right now, just crushing it when I want to, but on the backhand wing I'm totally lost, launching the ball a lot or fluffing it, unless I slice the ball, in which case the tgk is the nastiest slicing stick I've ever held. With my 7G, my drive backhand comes back, I can hit it again. Really struggling for some reason with the tgk on backhands specifically, but it's gotta be something mechanically I'm just not doing right. Or many things. Gonna try and take a lesson next week and focus on that wing, as it's been awhile since I've taken a lesson and the backhand just really needs work.

Ross , awesome vid. Agassi is just killing the ball..wow. That is how you hit a tennis ball. He gets such a nice drop on the ball as well, and you can see him vary it up from shallow to deep.

Absolutely love that blake agassi vid. Two of my favorites going at it. I went blake when i first started back in to tennis. Got a tfight and a dunlop 200 while trying to figure out what he was really using. Those dunlop 200s are beastly.

Just cant believe how hard those guys were hitting. Tennis is really getting ruined with these slow courts.

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Glad you like it, PP. He's just something else, isn't he? Often cited is how he hits on the rise, but I always think he just hits the ball so cleanly. Haven't had the chance to watch the plethora of AA vids posted here lately but will try and do so later.

Glad you like it, PP. He's just something else, isn't he? Often cited is how he hits on the rise, but I always think he just hits the ball so cleanly. Haven't had the chance to watch the plethora of AA vids posted here lately but will try and do so later.

So... what are diary RH's ultimate thoughts on the Yonnie PPT and Big Supex BA?

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Yonex string didn't really care for, but if you string it low tension you might be much better off. I think I strung it too high. Just felt kind of dead and plastic-like. Didn't hold a candle to TB. But again, at low tension, maybe it's a different string.

To run into Agassi and Fed consecutive years, ouch. Awesome to come back after the bagel second set.

Did Blake ever play a better match than against Agassi?

For me the best match I ever saw Roddick play was that epic Wimby loss to Fed. The ONE guy that could have beat him that day happened to be on the other side of the net. Feel like the Agassi match was the same deal with James.

And this was the coolest thing James ever did... a few years later, during Agassi's final Open:

Yes, without a doubt. BUT I know some higher level players can use this racquet, it just matters the swing type. For me, the extra work required with an 18x20 pattern actually computes to a routine stroke. With the 99s, I have to hold back so much in comparison. Now and then I would let it rip and get a nice sharp drop on the ball, but the trajectory is higher and my friend could still get to it (kick off the bounce doesn't bug him - he grew up seeing that) - so the only advantage is if you play 3.5-4.0 max and just want to screw with people's timing. Anyone who is really solid at tennis knows how to chop down topspin balls and redirect that pace so I dont get why people are so obsessed with high bouncers.

Gads, on the backhand - you think it is your footwork? The videoing is really accelerating my improvement. I can see every little stupid thing I need to fix so much clearer in my head when I hit now. I hit a really flat backhand and while I can drive it DTL hard with my Blade, even with the Steam, I was able to hit decent backhands. What I am getting to is that I think you are making the right choice to get a lesson. Lessons >>>>>> new racquets. I will probably do the same thing so I can revisit my serve and backhand and footwork. I have an amazing Open player at my disposal that is the same size as me and has beaten the likes of TonLars in $$$ tournies so I need to work with him more. Anyway, after you do that lesson, use the bungee cord/iphone trick to film your strokes and see what you think, regardless if you post or not. I'd personally love to see you and Mad Dog ripping it up off the PCH.

Ross - PTP is a nice string. I liked it, but I didnt love it. I am all about the boardy feel of the 4G/syn gut. My favorite setup was Flouro/Stamina at a high tension..hoping tour Bite can give me some of that magic with a stamina cross, but I do love syn gut crosses. I think it is just the feel I grew up with - solid racquets with tight syn gut = a super nice sweet spot when you crush one.

Tomorrow I am expecting two Yonex VCORE 97 Tour (330). I am expecting hefty weight but also the stability and control that comes with it. Also, the comfort and the big sweet spot.
Luxilon 4g in one and Yonex Poly Tour Pro black in the other one.

^It's a good match for the more powerful, stiffer and open patterned racquets. No good in 18x20's. Along with kirschbaum's pro line, pro poly tour is the deadest I've ever played.

They get better on the 2nd and 3rd outing, but 47lbs is a good starting point for that string.

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Well, as someone who's hit with a ton of polys, all I can say is, this really stood out for me today. Really surprised and impressed me, klem.

So many polys are either a bit too stiff, or too mushy, or whatever. But my early impressions on this are of a string that's comfortable, you get that slight pockety sensation and lovely soft feel without it being mushy and Cyclonish, it bites on to the ball with a lot of spin, some really ripping power, allied with nice control. Okay, I still need to get better acquainted with PPro Tour, but, yep, seems to be much more my cup of tea, much more distinctive than so many of the current popular polys du jour.

Of course you could have hit the nail on the head, i.e., it's simply just a very good fit for the J100.

Not to me it didn't. I mean, sure it's firm, but straight off I noted it felt like there was some give and flex. That said, I've also noticed the J100 has these characteristics to an extent when applied to strings generally. I don't think there's a string-job I've yet disliked in this frame, rather the issue is getting the right tension as this frame can be too powerful from the b-line if you're not careful.

Well, I can confirm that Poly Pro Tour @ 47 lbs in my J100 was a lot to my liking.

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Ross,im very surprised you liked YPTP 125 in the j100 at that tension and expected to hear you say balls were hitting the fence!!!!

i played YPTP in my PD @ 52/50 and felt i could have raised the tension to 54/52 as it does have an initial breaking in period and just felt it was a tad too powerful!!!
i enjoyed the softness of it and i like full beds of poly in the PD,have got a couple of sets left and fancy trying YPTP in my blade 98 but im not sure it will give me the control i really like from that frame but you can only try

Ross,im very surprised you liked YPTP 125 in the j100 at that tension and expected to hear you say balls were hitting the fence!!!!

i played YPTP in my PD @ 52/50 and felt i could have raised the tension to 54/52 as it does have an initial breaking in period and just felt it was a tad too powerful!!!
i enjoyed the softness of it and i like full beds of poly in the PD,have got a couple of sets left and fancy trying YPTP in my blade 98 but im not sure it will give me the control i really like from that frame but you can only try

cheers garry

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Hmm, hard for me to give you a definitive answer as a), I haven't played long enough with the string to have a fully developed idea on what you raise, and 2, I've tried 4 or 5 different string-jobs with the J and every one of them (including PPT) bar maybe Alu saw me hitting long a bit too often for my liking - a lot/some of which I'm convinced is actually down to me not being properly grooved and dialed in with the frame (which itself is a testimony to my bad habit switching too much between the Juice and PD, and constant change-ups in mod set ups - about which I plan on only checking these frames from now on with no mods at all, and I plan on looking at the PD with PTT to get a closer comparison to the J).

BTW Garry, I also didn't find Big Ace in the PD @ 45s too powerful. I could have gone lower actually. Not as good all around for me as PPT in the Juice, but a nice poly, not quite my thing.

So you got the 98? 93 might also be a try since she's so used to the Mid, and Chris and Andy loved that thing and I think they actually found it to be pretty maneuverable.

Black Ace 93 also sounds like a great fit - for me my description has always been that it's an easier to use Prestige Mid or PS 85. Same type of laser ball control and feel but in an 11.6 package instead of 12-plus. The '2012 version' TW just had has a sw of only 320 or so, but even the old BA 93 I felt was much easier to wield than a Prestige Mid despite a 330 sw, as the static was still about 11.6 or so. Unfortunately both of these frames are hard to find now.

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Gotta stop reading this thread at work.. skipped right by this!

PK is always under my radar and for what reason, I'll never know. Looked at the specs again and this could be a great fit for her. If the trimmed and stripped PresMid (with a little compensating lead love at 12) isn't cutting it or is too of a foreign feel from the familiar, I'll have to go this route.

The BlackBlade will get a work-out tonight at the indoor courts. Sadly, I'm sitting by, watching her lesson/training. That's alright, burning the tips/instruction into my subconscious.

^ Talking of the Black Blade, I haven't actually caught a whole lot of feedback re the the 16x19 Darth Vader stick, so any RHs who've had the pleasure, what's the story? How much are we liking it? Just wondering if I've been putting too much emphasis into checking out the 99s, maybe the new APD too, and neglecting what could be a potentially fantastic frame.

i really like Big Ace in the PD @ 44/42 and ive also played it in the Blade 98 @ 51/48 which i liked too,yes its not too powerful which in the PD is great as i like to hit hard with spin and pepper my opponents baseline,serves were great too with bags of power with good direction/spin on them.
its just a shame pro supex is to stop making it and had an email from the place i get it from to let me no they only have a few sets left and havent found anywhere else in the UK that stocks it so its a sad time:cry:

Big Ace in the blade 98 @ 51/48 played pretty good with excellent control and low power but enough to play well in doubles,power on my serves wasnt very good but i can live with that,
i did re-string Big Ace @ 44/42 in the blade but its lost the control i love but my serves were more powerful than strung @ 51/48,im going back to 51/48 in the blade as im liking that low powered/control "PP" boardy feeling lol

Yes, PP, I've never played the Blade and the new open pattern does interest me - only the 99s especially, and new APD, has kind of relegated it in my thoughts a bit. But, having found maybe my number one issue thus far with the Juice has been the power/launching/lack of control sometimes on g/strokes. And (as you know), having always really appreciated the performance of so-called player's frames. Plus having over the years had regular little detours with these sorts of racs (detours which have been very largely doomed to failure ), well, I am curious here.

Obviously it could be a step too far for me away from the present powerful spin-friendly tweener realm which does seem to suit my game. Then again, perhaps it might add something?

On a wider point, I've been really impressed with the Juice, equally impressed with the Black Drive, so I'm wondering if this may be another good example of a really high class upgrade or whatever.

Anyhow, all pure racketaholic OCD-ing undoubtedly, but, hey, that's what this thread is all about, of course.:wink: